Chapter 2: Mark Miller
Chapter 2 bears a deeply ironic subtitle. That subtitle is “Mark Miller” and the chapter begins with Mrs. Jewls introducing a new student to her class: Mark Miller who has just moved to town from Magadonia. In fact, this chapter commences an entire ironic subplot since the new kid is actually Benjamin Nushmutt who has moved to town from Hempleton. Nevertheless, throughout most of the book, Benjamin will be identified by everybody as Mark Miller.
Miss Zarves on the Nineteenth Story
A running gag of ironic humor throughout the entire series is based on the recurrence an assertion: “Miss Zarves taught the class on the nineteenth story. There was no Miss Zarves.” Not only is this asserted, but it is also commonly noted by everybody in this series of books that Wayside School has no nineteenth story. The profound irony of this recurrence is that every one of the books features at least one story detailing the existence of Miss Zarves and her class on the nineteenth floor.
Chapter Nineteen(s)
The irony of the assertion that Miss Zarves and the nineteenth story do not exist actually attains ironic critical mass in this particular addition to the continuing story of Wayside. The book actually features not just one Chapter Nineteen, but three different chapter nineteens, each of which are devoted to a sort of a story-within-the-story that is exclusively about Miss Zarves classroom on the nineteenth story even though there is no Miss Zarves nor a nineteenth story.
The Title
This particular bit of irony may be deserving of a spoiler alert warning. The title turns out to be ironic because Wayside School does not actually fall down. The ending becomes a cliffhanger, however, as the book ends with the school closing down and the students being temporarily shuffled off to other school. This circumstance is not because the architecturally unsound building housing the school falls, however, but rather because it is overrun by bovine invaders.
An Irony That isn't About Irony
The fundamental source of humor in the narrative is irony. This book and the rest making up the series are profoundly ironic in just about every sense. One of the defining features, in fact, is that if something is boldly asserted, it should be taken as a sure sign that the assertion is going to be subverted. Miss Zarves and the existence of the nineteenth story is merely the most obvious example. On a lesser scale is the subtitle of Chapter 25 in this volume: “A Story that isn’t about Socks.” The very first sentence situates the background of this chapter as taking place class picture day.
As a result, the obvious conclusion to reach before reading is that this most definitely going to be a story in which socks somehow play a significant role, especially considering that a previous chapter was actually subtitled, “Another Story about Socks” in which socks are integral to the narrative. (Even one of the Chapter Nineteens features socks prominently in the storyline.) The shocking irony, therefore, is that following the last word of the chapter subtitle, socks are never mentioned again in either singular or plural form.
